The number of buy-to-let mortgages has soared to 2,163, the highest since before the financial crisis hit in October 2007, according to research from Moneyfacts.co.uk.

In March 2017 the average two year fixed rate was 2.96 per cent and that has now gone up to 3.12 per cent following the Bank of England rate rise last year.

The average five year fixed rate in March 2017 was 3.77 per cent and but that has now fallen slightly to 3.61 per cent.

Darren Cook, finance expert at Moneyfacts.co.uk, said: “It is encouraging that buy to let landlords have more mortgage choice than they have had at any time in almost 12 years.

“Total product numbers have increased by 397 over the past year and by 706 over the past two years.

“Despite ongoing uncertainty in the property market, providers are not shying away from offering landlords a greater choice of products, although it is also evident from our research that heightened competition to try and attract buy-to-let business has not resulted in a fall in interest rates, as has recently happened in the residential mortgage sector.

“Indeed, the average two year fixed buy-to-let mortgage rate has increased by 0.20 per cent to 3.12 per cent since September 2018 and the average five year fixed rate has increased by 0.15 per cent over the same period.”

He argued that the recent increases to buy-to-let mortgages interest rates have been a result of mortgage providers attributing a little more to risk into their product rates due to uncertainty over future economic conditions.